LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 19: (Right) As Almabaev of Kazakhstan defeats Mateusz of Brazil in a flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 19, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hit Nicolau. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Saturday’s UFC Vegas 99 preliminary card concluded with a red-hot flyweight battle as Mateusz Nikolaou takes on As Almabaev.
Almabaev was in great shape heading into the bout, posting a perfect 3-0 record inside the Octagon and 20-2 overall. The flyweight from Kazakhstan was catching up with Brazil’s Nicolau, who had lost back-to-back fights to Brandon Roybal and Alex Perez, with his first consecutive losses.
The fight began cautiously, with both sides hesitant to let the other gain the upper hand. Asu tried to land calf kicks on Nicolaou’s lead leg early on and throughout the match. Matthäus, on the other hand, looked upstairs, clearly anticipating his opponent’s takedown. A little more than 90 seconds into the match, Asu threw a half-hearted punch, but Matheus was able to easily avoid it with his footwork. Midway through the round, Almabaev landed a partial spinning heel kick to the crowd’s cheers and awe. Both men seemed very cautious about taking more than a few strikes. Nicolau continued to play lead hands and finally connected near the end of the round. The first round ends without anything happening.
The second round started quickly with Almabaev coming out more aggressively with aggressive poach and kick combinations.
Almabaev continued to throw low leg kicks. One of them gave Matthäus a little bit of ground a few minutes into the round. With nearly two minutes left in the round, Asu finally landed a single leg, which was valiantly defended by Nicolaou on the cage. Almabaev doubled again seconds later, allowing Nikolaou to sprawl out. Nicolau used it as a leg and threw his opponent onto his back. However, Nicolau continued to hold his head throughout the sequence and was able to secure a very deep guillotine. Miraculously, Almabaev escaped and the match was temporarily halted thanks to his shorts coming undone.
When the battle resumed, both fighters stood and engaged cautiously. There were no notable landings in the final seconds, but Asu showed his tenacity by missing a big overhand attempt.
The final round started with Nikolaou still moving cautiously and Almabaev still throwing the amount of movement. A little more than 30 minutes into the round, Alumbayev dropped Nikolaou with a combination of uppercuts and hooks. Assu chased his opponent to the ground and landed a very effective elbow from a modified mount position. Mateus was able to survive the attack by grabbing his opponent’s arm. However, Asu did a great job of holding his position throughout the round as his opponent became more and more desperate to get back up. Nikolaou was able to land some nasty elbows from the back, but was ultimately choked by Almabaev until the final moments of the round, getting to his feet in time for a handshake.
In the post-fight press conference, As Almabaev boldly declared that he was ready for the UFC title and called for it.
Official result: As Almabaev def. Mateusz Nikolaou unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
